Gunroker purchase

[joonbis]

I have purchased a couple of guns here before but the sellers always had a sales history. What precautions would you take for a seller with no history?

 

[arjay]

If he doesn't take credit cards,and that's your only real protection,I would ask questions and get a feel for him like you would with any other transaction.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

Personally, I would not buy from one, but everybody also has to start at some point too.

 

[b_san]

NR seller no way for me, but if they have a small number of feedback as buyer only and are verified I'd consider it, after emailing for a little more info, if I felt comfortable with the response. Asking for additional pics of a specific side or closeup, etc. is another way to make sure that the seller actually has the item too.

 

[Bkreutz]

I've bought from Gunbroker, don't think I'd trust Gunroker though.


(sorry, couldn't resist, I tried, but couldn't. )

 

[islamoradamark]

ive had good and slow and just some plain stupid. man asks 4 postal mony order thats like cash right . then man tells me the postal money order has to clear his bank . come on thats the whole point of sending postal money order if i go to post office with one they hand me cash on spot. some time u can only get through on gunbroker email that can take a while always want a phone number. lots of problems arise no traking ,no recipt no FFL ive had to beg to get some stuff right. just tellin ya what has happened to me in past i like face to face deals but sometimes it just doesent work out. some people are just the best to deal with and upstanding and honest. yes ask lots of questions

 

[joonbis]

The seller only accepts paypal. I didn't notice that until I placed a bid. Now I don't feel good about this. What would be the action against me if I back out? I don't really care if I get banned. I do plan on asking for more pics. I tried to google his business for phone # but could not get the business to come up. I emailed and ask for phone# and nothing yet. My rating is a+ but after this, I may not want to do this again anyway. Thanks

 

[Camster]

If you can't get a phone number,more photos if you need them,some chit chat,in a reasonable time,don't proceed.
The worst that may happen,if you remain the high bidder,is that he might give you a negative feedback,and you can do the same with expressing your concerns.Far worse for a newbie seller to start out with a negative than an established guy with a good record getting a bad mark.

 

[Cpo1944]

The seller only accepts paypal. I didn't notice that until I placed a bid. Now I don't feel good about this. What would be the action against me if I back out? I don't really care if I get banned. I do plan on asking for more pics. I tried to google his business for phone # but could not get the business to come up. I emailed and ask for phone# and nothing yet. My rating is a+ but after this, I may not want to do this again anyway. Thanks

Maybe you`ll be outbid , and that will give you some thinking time, to decide what to do.

 

[joonbis]

If I get out budded I won't come back with another. Like I said I just don't feel comfortable. I did ask for more pics also. If I don't get them and a phone # I am out. Thanks again. This will most likely be my last deal with these auctions.

 

[vigil617]

Usually, with PayPal transactions you'd have a degree of protection that you'd get your item. However, as I understand it, PayPal does not allow purchases of firearms. I'm aware that some folks do it anyway, but it's a risk, and I would imagine that if you paid through PayPal and didn't get your item, you'd be out of luck since their rules would have been violated....

 

[peyton]

I bought a gun from a new seller on Gunbroker. Contact him and ask for references. The fellow I bought from gave me his favorite gun shop and range manager information. I googled them up, called and both vouched for the seller and the deal went smoothly. I am glad I did the homework. Contact the seller, if he acts squirrely back out before you send money.

 

[4506517]

I wouldn't buy from him. Let someone else be the guinea pig.

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

PayPal won't insure gun related transactions. A lot of people pay for guns and gun parts with PayPal but just understand if the deal goes south you will not get your money back thru PayPal. I have bought from new sellers on gunbroker before. Ask questions and talk to them over the phone. Prompt replies and good communication can give you a good indication of what sort of seller they are.

In the end go with your gut. If the seller has to many red flags just walk away.

 

[Quick10]

I'm pretty sure you can use your credit card through paypal, so you would still have some recourse if you decided to take the risk. I know that Paypal doesn't allow for gun purchases. This "may" be a case of the seller didn't know. I would contact them to try and get this resolved.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

On GunBroker you can access the seller's contact information easily. Each registered seller must have an address and telephone number listed. Not too difficult to check these out.

When interested in an auction item I like to send a question or two to the seller, maybe request another photo, not only to get more information but to see how responsive the seller is. Those that do not reply to inquiries in a reasonable period of time are probably not going to respond to problems after the sale.

I've done quite a few deals on GunBroker over the past 10 years or so, both as a buyer and as a seller, and have been generally very happy with the results. I've even made some good contacts and established friendly relationships with quite a few people. My personal interests lean toward the older guns and I have been able to significantly improve my little collection, frequently acquiring a better specimen than I had and then selling the earlier piece. Having a national marketplace to deal in has made a big difference for collectors.

 

[W.E.G.]

I bought a gun from a new seller on Gunbroker. Contact him and ask for references. The fellow I bought from gave me his favorite gun shop and range manager information. I googled them up, called and both vouched for the seller and the deal went smoothly. I am glad I did the homework. Contact the seller, if he acts squirrely back out before you send money.

↑↑↑↑↑---This---↑↑↑↑↑

 

[alwslate]

If I get out budded I won't come back with another. Like I said I just don't feel comfortable. I did ask for more pics also. If I don't get them and a phone # I am out. Thanks again. This will most likely be my last deal with these auctions.

The auctions offer real advantages sometimes. I've been able
to make some really good buys and sell a few guns that I
would never have found a local buyer for. A person selling
guns that accepts paypal only, with no feedbacks? I wouldn't
bid. I have emailed sellers with questions and gotten no
reply. I didn't bid. If you get no response and you win I would
suggest you not pay and take the negative, if there is one.
If he's not legit there may not be feedback from him.

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

If you win the auction it sounds like you will be getting a gun you want at a low price. I would point out to the seller that PayPal and guns are a no no and suggest some other form of payment.

 

[wheelgun28]

I would think that if you wanted to sell a few things on a service like GB you would get some experience.

I would buy a few things and get some feedback. The could be in expensive anything, posters, brass, holsters just something.

Then I would start off by selling smaller stuff, again a box or grips. Get some feed back and it shows you know how things work and your not in Nigeria.

I think its a poor seller with a new account listing an expensive item expecting to yield a good result.

 

[glowe]

As a recent new seller on GB, I am glad that there were a couple of people out there to buy my items!! I hope none of you ever need to sell your first item on GB because most of the posters here will not buy anything from you.

I will say that your buying and selling is tracked in the same system, so when I started selling, I already had numbers and feedback and my first selling item listed me as having numbers of transactions. If there is actually a person with a zero after his name, that also means he has never bought or sold on GB. I think there is sound advice on this thread that can help assure bidders that the seller is legitimate. Trust but verify.

Paypal is actually a great service for many purchases and I am not sure why there are so many negative responses. You can set up your account in many ways, including paying through a credit card. If this is the option you use, you're actually protected twice, once through Paypal and once through your credit card. Purchasing on sites like ebay is easy when using Paypal and payment and shipment are very fast.

What I do not like about Paypal is that you cannot use the service to purchase firearms or ammunition. I have contacted the company and was told that the legal risk is just too high for them to become involved in a potential illegal sale. I was also told that this is not a social/political decision, but rather a potential liability issue that Paypal's insurers will not cover either.

We don’t allow PayPal members to buy or sell any kind of firearm, whether it’s in working order or not. The same goes for certain firearm parts and ammunition.

For example, using PayPal, you can’t buy or sell:

•Any firearm, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, whether they’re for sport and recreation, collectibles, or curio or relic firearms.

•Firearm parts, including but not limited to receivers and frames, silencers, and kits designed to modify guns so that they fire automatically. High capacity magazines, multi-burst trigger activators, and camouflaging firearm containers are other items in this category.

•Ammunition, including propellants like gunpowder or blank ammunition; ammunition or cartridge cases; and primers, bullets, or propellant powder designed for any firearm.

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Good point. When I first started out on GB I racked up feedback by buying stuff. The first things I sold where grips and magazines. To date I think I have only sold two or three guns.

Keep in mind many new sellers that start off by selling guns have probably hit on hard times or had a family member die.

 

[SmokeStack Lightning]

I've made several successful purchases off GB, but always from a gun shop, never an individual.

I've read about lots of scamming going on there in the last several months and they were all individual sellers.

I'd run.